KIDWCKED
12-27-2010, 04:21 PM
c/p from foxsports by pokerstars
Updated Dec 23, 2010 12:21 AM ET
As a game that involves bluffing — or the telling of “stories” — poker has always tended to attract interesting characters, many of whom present themselves or are often regarded as larger than life. Indeed, the history of the game is peppered with tales of such figures’ exploits both at the tables and beyond, helping make poker such a rich source of entertainment for players and fans alike.
From the 19th century come a few such personalities, among them Wild Bill Hickok, the rambling, gambling gunfighter and lawman known for having been shot dead at the poker table at the No. 10 Saloon in Deadwood, South Dakota. As he perished, Hickok reportedly clutched two pair — aces and eights — a holding that would subsequently become known as the “dead man’s hand.”
Also from the Old West come tales of gamblers like George Devol whose autobiography Forty Years a Gambler on the Mississippi chronicles — likely in exaggerated fashion — some of his card-playing adventures in saloons and on riverboats. Devol’s stories demonstrate the extent to which cheating was part of the game of poker during its early history, a characteristic of the game that lasted well into the latter part of the 20th century.
It is during the 1950s and 1960s when some of the great Texas-based poker players — and personalities — begin to emerge, including the much revered Johnny Moss, the eventual “godfather” of poker Doyle Brunson, and the always prop-betting “Amarillo Slim” Preston. Such players primarily spent their days “fading the white line,” traveling all over in search of games, often having to keep watch both for law enforcement coming to bust their games as well as robbers looking to relieve them of their bankrolls.
In 1970, Benny Binion — another great personality in poker history — established the World Series of Poker as an annual gathering of poker players at his Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas. From the early years of the WSOP came champions like Moss, Brunson, Preston, “Sailor” Roberts, Walter “Puggy” Pearson, and Jack “Treetop” Straus, among other characters.
In the early 1980s, one of poker’s most talented — and most troubled — individuals burst onto the scene, Stu Ungar, winner of back-to-back WSOP Main Event titles in 1980 and 1981, plus a third in 1997 a year before his untimely demise at age 45 brought on by an excessive lifestyle. The 1980s would produce more top players who would become well-known poker personalities in their own right, including Johnny Chan — nicknamed “The Orient Express” — and Phil Hellmuth, whose petulant behavior at the tables would earn him the moniker “The Poker Brat.”
Following the advent of online poker in the late 1990s, the rise of televised poker shortly thereafter, and the surprise victory by amateur Chris Moneymaker at the 2003 WSOP Main Event after winning a seat online via PokerStars.net, a poker “boom” of sorts occurred inspiring many more to take up the game while also helping set the stage for a new breed of poker personality — the TV celebrity. Talkative, gregarious types like Mike “the Mouth” Matusow, Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu, and Phil “Unabomber” Laak, as well as those with distinctive styles (and looks) like Gus Hansen, Phil Ivey, and Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, became famous both for their expert, winning play as well as for their unique and memorable identities.
Poker players — especially those who play for the highest stakes — continue to fascinate both amateur players and fans who enjoy following their every move. Such is the beauty of poker, a game that can accommodate such a wide variety of playing styles and player types, thus providing a ready context for so many real-life “characters.”
Updated Dec 23, 2010 12:21 AM ET
As a game that involves bluffing — or the telling of “stories” — poker has always tended to attract interesting characters, many of whom present themselves or are often regarded as larger than life. Indeed, the history of the game is peppered with tales of such figures’ exploits both at the tables and beyond, helping make poker such a rich source of entertainment for players and fans alike.
From the 19th century come a few such personalities, among them Wild Bill Hickok, the rambling, gambling gunfighter and lawman known for having been shot dead at the poker table at the No. 10 Saloon in Deadwood, South Dakota. As he perished, Hickok reportedly clutched two pair — aces and eights — a holding that would subsequently become known as the “dead man’s hand.”
Also from the Old West come tales of gamblers like George Devol whose autobiography Forty Years a Gambler on the Mississippi chronicles — likely in exaggerated fashion — some of his card-playing adventures in saloons and on riverboats. Devol’s stories demonstrate the extent to which cheating was part of the game of poker during its early history, a characteristic of the game that lasted well into the latter part of the 20th century.
It is during the 1950s and 1960s when some of the great Texas-based poker players — and personalities — begin to emerge, including the much revered Johnny Moss, the eventual “godfather” of poker Doyle Brunson, and the always prop-betting “Amarillo Slim” Preston. Such players primarily spent their days “fading the white line,” traveling all over in search of games, often having to keep watch both for law enforcement coming to bust their games as well as robbers looking to relieve them of their bankrolls.
In 1970, Benny Binion — another great personality in poker history — established the World Series of Poker as an annual gathering of poker players at his Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas. From the early years of the WSOP came champions like Moss, Brunson, Preston, “Sailor” Roberts, Walter “Puggy” Pearson, and Jack “Treetop” Straus, among other characters.
In the early 1980s, one of poker’s most talented — and most troubled — individuals burst onto the scene, Stu Ungar, winner of back-to-back WSOP Main Event titles in 1980 and 1981, plus a third in 1997 a year before his untimely demise at age 45 brought on by an excessive lifestyle. The 1980s would produce more top players who would become well-known poker personalities in their own right, including Johnny Chan — nicknamed “The Orient Express” — and Phil Hellmuth, whose petulant behavior at the tables would earn him the moniker “The Poker Brat.”
Following the advent of online poker in the late 1990s, the rise of televised poker shortly thereafter, and the surprise victory by amateur Chris Moneymaker at the 2003 WSOP Main Event after winning a seat online via PokerStars.net, a poker “boom” of sorts occurred inspiring many more to take up the game while also helping set the stage for a new breed of poker personality — the TV celebrity. Talkative, gregarious types like Mike “the Mouth” Matusow, Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu, and Phil “Unabomber” Laak, as well as those with distinctive styles (and looks) like Gus Hansen, Phil Ivey, and Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, became famous both for their expert, winning play as well as for their unique and memorable identities.
Poker players — especially those who play for the highest stakes — continue to fascinate both amateur players and fans who enjoy following their every move. Such is the beauty of poker, a game that can accommodate such a wide variety of playing styles and player types, thus providing a ready context for so many real-life “characters.”